Wellington City Council, Tiaki Wai prosecuted over Moa Point plant disaster

Greater Wellington Regional Council is prosecuting Wellington City Council and Tiaki Wai over the catastrophic failure at Moa Point wastewater treatment plant.Billions of litres of raw sewage have spilled into the city's south coast since the plant flooded in February.Wellington City Council says it anticipated the prosecution.It acknowledges the seriousness of the impact on the environment, residents and businesses on Wellington's south coast.The council says it's co-operating fully.Wellington City Council chief executive Matt Prosser.RNZ / Samuel RillstoneGreater Wellington said Tiaki Wai and Wellington City Council could face tens of millions in fines if convicted.In a statement, it said each organisation faced 10 charges related to what it claims are unlawful sewage discharges from the plant.The charges covered two periods; between October 2025 and January 2026 when the plant's ultraviolet system was being upgraded, and the failure at the plant in early February 2026 and ongoing discharges of sewage connected to it.Greater Wellington director strategy, policy and regulation Fathima Iftikar said the decision to prosecute followed a detailed investigation into events, the roles of the parties involved and the environmental consequences.She said it was not taken lightly.Tiaki Wai chief executive Michael Brewster.RNZ"As an independent regulator, Greater Wellington is responsible for enforcing compliance with the Resource Management Act (RMA), including compliance with resource consents and the regional plan," Iftikar said.Each party faced 10 charges, five related to what Greater Wellington said were unlawful discharges, and five for breaches of an abatement notice.Under the RMA, if convicted Tiaki Wai and Wellington City Council each faced a maximum fine of $10 million per charge, Iftikar said, however that would be up to the court."No matter how important the service, or who owns or operates it, the obligation to comply with environmental law remains the same."Iftikar said Greater Wellington was separately considering if regulatory measures were needed to ensure the plant returned to full compliance.Work to restore the plant is ongoing.